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Le retour à la terre #1
La vraie vie
Ah, la campagne, les petites fleurs, les bébêtes qui montent qui montent, et tout et tout ! Quel citadin n'a rêvé d'aller s'y ressourcer ? Manu Larcenet a chopé le virus l'an dernier, mais en grand timide qu'il est, il était à cent années-lumière d'imaginer que le récit de sa nouvelle vie pouvait intéresser le moindre lecteur. Heureusement, parmi les amis venus découvrir le nouveau monde de l'auteur des "Cosmonautes du Futur", se trouvait Ferri, l'homme qui raconte les folles aventures d'Aimé Lacapelle, le détective paysan qui trace son sillon dans Fluide Glacial. C'est lui qui s'est collé au récit des avatars de nos deux citadins depuis leur arrivée aux Ravenelles, 89 habitants (dont une jolie boulangère). Mais tout n'est pas rose quand on se met au vert !
Quel citadin exilé n'a pas ressenti sur le coup de 18h le manque lancinant du bruit du Périf ? L'eau-de-vie de M. Henri le proprio peut consoler, mais on sent parfois le besoin d'un réconfort moral. Problème, allez dénicher un psy aux Ravenelles (89 hab.) ! Il serait plus facile d'y trouver un ancien maire ruiné par le fisc et installé, à poil et barbu, dans un arbre centenaire. C'est ça aussi, vivre aux Ravenelles (89 h.) ! Pas chiens, Larcenet et Ferri traitent ce retour à la terre par histoires courtes d'une demi-page : 90 (bonnes) idées en 45 planches ! Ça rend généreux, la vie au grand air !
Quel citadin exilé n'a pas ressenti sur le coup de 18h le manque lancinant du bruit du Périf ? L'eau-de-vie de M. Henri le proprio peut consoler, mais on sent parfois le besoin d'un réconfort moral. Problème, allez dénicher un psy aux Ravenelles (89 hab.) ! Il serait plus facile d'y trouver un ancien maire ruiné par le fisc et installé, à poil et barbu, dans un arbre centenaire. C'est ça aussi, vivre aux Ravenelles (89 h.) ! Pas chiens, Larcenet et Ferri traitent ce retour à la terre par histoires courtes d'une demi-page : 90 (bonnes) idées en 45 planches ! Ça rend généreux, la vie au grand air !
46 pages, Hardcover
First published October 5, 2002
About the author
Jean-Yves Ferri
51 books73 followersJean-Yves Ferri is a French writer, designer and colourist of comic books.
In 2011, he was chosen as the new lead writer for the Asterix series created by René Goscinny and Albert Uderzo. He and illustrator Didier Conrad have so far produced five new books in the series.
In 2011, he was chosen as the new lead writer for the Asterix series created by René Goscinny and Albert Uderzo. He and illustrator Didier Conrad have so far produced five new books in the series.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 48 reviews
December 10, 2019
This is a beautiful albeit depressing graphic novel from Manu Larcenent who typically performs all the writing and artwork of his books. It is a story about the brutal realities of rural life in 21c post-industrial France. There are five volumes to this cycle. It does still have a bit of optimism compared to Le Combat Ordinaire Intégrale , which is more bleak.
March 14, 2020
A mildly humorous comic strip about the French comic book genre of moving from the city to the countryside.
Received a review copy from Europe Comics and NetGalley. All thoughts are my own and in no way influenced by the aforementioned.
Received a review copy from Europe Comics and NetGalley. All thoughts are my own and in no way influenced by the aforementioned.
January 18, 2020
*Disclaimer: I received this book for free from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
My favourite book of the month/year so far is a graphic novel so I wanted to pick up another of the graphic novels I received from NetGalley. However, this was quite disappointing.
Told in short comic strips, this tells the story of a young couple who move from Paris to the countryside. It shows the quirks of country living and their struggles coming to terms with their new environment. As someone who grew up largely in the countryside and who now lives in quite a popular city, I thought that the themes in this would really resonate with me. To the contrary, I found myself getting annoyed with the ignorance of these characters and their reluctance to fit it in their small community. I know this is based on the author's own experiences but I just thought that it was very negative towards countryside living, instead of a celebration.
Overall, even though this is only 50 pages, I struggled to finish it and it is entirely forgettable.
1 out of 5 stars!
My favourite book of the month/year so far is a graphic novel so I wanted to pick up another of the graphic novels I received from NetGalley. However, this was quite disappointing.
Told in short comic strips, this tells the story of a young couple who move from Paris to the countryside. It shows the quirks of country living and their struggles coming to terms with their new environment. As someone who grew up largely in the countryside and who now lives in quite a popular city, I thought that the themes in this would really resonate with me. To the contrary, I found myself getting annoyed with the ignorance of these characters and their reluctance to fit it in their small community. I know this is based on the author's own experiences but I just thought that it was very negative towards countryside living, instead of a celebration.
Overall, even though this is only 50 pages, I struggled to finish it and it is entirely forgettable.
1 out of 5 stars!
January 9, 2020
.It is about a couple who reallocate themselves to countryside.
Husband is an anxious artist and wife is a normal girl.
I loved background and surrounding.
Land owner, old lady, hermit and his brother.
It is original and hilarious stuff.
I enjoyed it thoroughly and I can read it any number of times.
If you want read funny comics, read it.
I am looking forward to other works by the artist.
Thanks netgalley and publisher for review copy.
Husband is an anxious artist and wife is a normal girl.
I loved background and surrounding.
Land owner, old lady, hermit and his brother.
It is original and hilarious stuff.
I enjoyed it thoroughly and I can read it any number of times.
If you want read funny comics, read it.
I am looking forward to other works by the artist.
Thanks netgalley and publisher for review copy.
January 29, 2020
This is the story of a couple who decided to move to the country after living the city for all their lives. It was about change, how it may seem like you're not making the best decision for the move yet there is beauty despite it all. It also focuses on the idea of yet not able to settle down and also taking other options into account. This book is in the format of short comic strips that is full of humour and a sense of adapting to the change.
January 4, 2020
Little day to day cartoons comics. With this kind of comics they make you laugh or not and this one didn't. Too easy, too simple, a lot of deja-vu joke. Nothing really worth it in my opinion!
January 8, 2020
Autobiographical comics are difficult to review because it feels a bit too close to insulting the people themselves. Even autobiographical prose I find easier. Perhaps because adding visuals makes me feel more voyeuristic as opposed to an essay that the author is putting out there. It's definitely a personal thing, but it makes me a little more uncomfortable.
Here, a couple moves to the countryside from Paris. It seems to have been a mutual decision, and perhaps done specifically to give the man, Manu, more space for his creative endeavors, yet he will not stop complaining about it. I thought it might be done in a 'fish out of water' way, which can be charming, but the comic focuses on their home, and the complaints he brings back after being out in the village. The one thing he seems to like about country life is that he would like to have an affair with the baker there, and doesn't understand why his wife is annoyed at hearing about her all the time. It's just not really funny. Both the wife and the villagers come off well, and Manu comes off like a prick, but I'm not convinced it was done in a skillful self-deprecating way. I think it's entirely possible he thinks his wife is being unreasonable in her demands to not live out of boxes six months after moving and to not have his brother come visit and insult their new way of life for hours. A joke or not, I'm really not interested in that baby boomer sort of humor where upsetting your wife is funny and all.
The format is very similar to newspaper comic strips, with similar levels of plot and punch line. I didn't laugh at any of them, but there were some small moments of cuteness. One thing I like about "living in the country" stories is reading about things like cooking and gardening and baking and meeting the locals etc and I didn't get any of that (with the slight exception of Manu attempting to cut down some trees with the men of the village) because the comic focuses so much on the confines of the house. This just ended up not really being for me.
Here, a couple moves to the countryside from Paris. It seems to have been a mutual decision, and perhaps done specifically to give the man, Manu, more space for his creative endeavors, yet he will not stop complaining about it. I thought it might be done in a 'fish out of water' way, which can be charming, but the comic focuses on their home, and the complaints he brings back after being out in the village. The one thing he seems to like about country life is that he would like to have an affair with the baker there, and doesn't understand why his wife is annoyed at hearing about her all the time. It's just not really funny. Both the wife and the villagers come off well, and Manu comes off like a prick, but I'm not convinced it was done in a skillful self-deprecating way. I think it's entirely possible he thinks his wife is being unreasonable in her demands to not live out of boxes six months after moving and to not have his brother come visit and insult their new way of life for hours. A joke or not, I'm really not interested in that baby boomer sort of humor where upsetting your wife is funny and all.
The format is very similar to newspaper comic strips, with similar levels of plot and punch line. I didn't laugh at any of them, but there were some small moments of cuteness. One thing I like about "living in the country" stories is reading about things like cooking and gardening and baking and meeting the locals etc and I didn't get any of that (with the slight exception of Manu attempting to cut down some trees with the men of the village) because the comic focuses so much on the confines of the house. This just ended up not really being for me.
April 4, 2019
Larcenet est à la fois hyper drôle et subtilement critique. Ses dessins sont géniaux, l'histoire aussi, que demander de plus ? Il excelle dans tous les registres !
November 9, 2014
Another book from Larcenet hohoh.
This one is somewhat a mimic of Ordinary victories but also different regarding characters and style. In this volumes, every page has a specific story with a specific content and different title but they are all connected to each other.
In this volume they move to the country side ( Manu and Mariette) so he can finish the illustrations/ book he has been working on and he is always freaking out that he is in the middle of nowhere but from time to time he starts to accept it.
It is basically a report of their daily life... Mariette really wants to have a child and Manu (who is extremely afraid of it)wants to start gardening and is always running away from the parenthood conversation;
He finds a therapist, an hermit that used to be the town major and that calls him "pure heart";
The home made booze from the village is quite hard but at the end they discover it is very useful in the winter;
His brother is a freak!;
He loves to live surrounded by cartoons;
They have a funny cat called Speed;
(...)
This one is somewhat a mimic of Ordinary victories but also different regarding characters and style. In this volumes, every page has a specific story with a specific content and different title but they are all connected to each other.
In this volume they move to the country side ( Manu and Mariette) so he can finish the illustrations/ book he has been working on and he is always freaking out that he is in the middle of nowhere but from time to time he starts to accept it.
It is basically a report of their daily life... Mariette really wants to have a child and Manu (who is extremely afraid of it)wants to start gardening and is always running away from the parenthood conversation;
He finds a therapist, an hermit that used to be the town major and that calls him "pure heart";
The home made booze from the village is quite hard but at the end they discover it is very useful in the winter;
His brother is a freak!;
He loves to live surrounded by cartoons;
They have a funny cat called Speed;
(...)
January 18, 2020
'Back to Basics 1: Real Life' by Manu Larcenet and Jean-Yves Ferri is a collection of comics about Manu Larcenet moving to the country.
When Manu and his partner Mariette move to the country, they find themselves surrounded by boxes from the move. They also meet the quaint, and strange, people they've moved near. Manu receives potent alcohol. He also almost kills himself in a tree cutting party. When he holds a party for his city friends, he finds they are happy enough to visit, then go back home.
It's classic "fish out of water" humor. The character of Manu makes things worse with his ignorant ways. The villagers seem a bit like caricatures, on purpose. The art is fun, and I got a few laughs out of the gags.
I received a review copy of this graphic novel from Europe Comics and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you for allowing me to review this graphic novel.
When Manu and his partner Mariette move to the country, they find themselves surrounded by boxes from the move. They also meet the quaint, and strange, people they've moved near. Manu receives potent alcohol. He also almost kills himself in a tree cutting party. When he holds a party for his city friends, he finds they are happy enough to visit, then go back home.
It's classic "fish out of water" humor. The character of Manu makes things worse with his ignorant ways. The villagers seem a bit like caricatures, on purpose. The art is fun, and I got a few laughs out of the gags.
I received a review copy of this graphic novel from Europe Comics and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you for allowing me to review this graphic novel.
March 30, 2017
Manu Larcenet is god. I have yet to read something from him I did not enjoy a lot. This is kinda weird because before seeing it, his art style is not one that would have attracted me.
But , boy, does it grow on you !
Reread it yesterday as I got the collection collecting the first 3 books and the second read is as good as the first
But , boy, does it grow on you !
Reread it yesterday as I got the collection collecting the first 3 books and the second read is as good as the first
April 5, 2020
A book that sat idling for fourteen whole years before being translated into English, and then over three before the publishers deigned to put it on netgalley for us humble reviewers? All that says it must have "turd-filled stinker" written over it. But it's actually rather nice. It forms a proper narrative graphic novel, even if it is composed of half-page comic strips, all designed to give an arch yuck about the author/creator and his partner, moving out into the sticks in France having been city people. She adapts much more quickly, to the extent all the interaction with the as-far-as-we-see-it mute landlord is through her, whereas he finds the change much more awkward. And it's forever before they've finished unpacking. Some then has often been done before, with the tech-head afraid of the trees, the chance of there being poisonous plants, and the local rotgut given as a welcome or thank you present, or just with no reason at all, but it's really pleasantly clever at the same time. I might not have leapt at this – and I doubt I'd spend the evening reading all five books in the series – but this is just about worth four stars.
December 9, 2019
Een hilarisch en mooie strip over hoe Manu en zijn vriendin besluiten te verhuizen naar het platteland. Manu's vriendin lijkt er heel wat minder problemen mee te hebben dan Manu. Manu mist de grote stad, belt (of wordt gebeld) zijn vrienden constant, en we zien ook dat het mentaal niet altijd helemaal lekker meer gaat. En dan is het nog niet eens de isolatie die parten speelt maar ook zeker de vreemde mensen in het dorp en in het bos. Zo is er een oud vrouwtje die steeds op dezelfde plek staat, de huisbaas gluurt vaak naar binnen, en de oude burgemeester is een kluizenaar geworden. We zien hoe Manu en zijn vriendin proberen het beste te maken, de winter te overleven (en niet te eindigen als de drie Engelsen), en meer. Oh, en ik vond het leuk dat Ferri dus de strip noemde op een van de pagina's en dat we dus zien hoe het allemaal is begonnen. Ik heb echt genoten en ik hoop dat ik het volgende deel ook kan vinden als ik weer naar deze bibliotheek ga.
January 26, 2020
I thought this was hilarious with good artwork too. It tells the story of the author Manu Larcenet and his move to the french countryside from Paris. The move is both good and bad.
Living in the country takes much getting used to. Manu (and his girlfriend) move to a tiny village of 89 people after having lived all his life in Paris. This is book one in this series. It is funny, quirky and just right for a coffee table and it will be interesting to see if they manage to settle down!
Copy provided by Europe Comics via Netgalley in exchange for an unbiased review.
Living in the country takes much getting used to. Manu (and his girlfriend) move to a tiny village of 89 people after having lived all his life in Paris. This is book one in this series. It is funny, quirky and just right for a coffee table and it will be interesting to see if they manage to settle down!
Copy provided by Europe Comics via Netgalley in exchange for an unbiased review.
June 4, 2022
This is a bande desinée about a couple moving from Paris to the countryside and it is the most fun I've had reading a comic in a while. It follows a newspaper strip format similar to Peanuts with self-contained gags that are told within 6 panels, with an overarching story linking the short strips together. The artwork is most reminiscent of Calvin and Hobbes in tone, capturing a childlike quality of wonder at a new and unfamiliar surrounding. Beautiful artwork, story, writing and a cast of likeable characters. Highly recommended!
March 25, 2021
J'avais pensé avoir tout lu de Larcenet, mais cette BD m'a agréablement étonné, les aventures de citadins qui s'aventurent, s'exilent a la campagne...certaines scènes sont a mourir de rire, et les situations cocasses, les tranches de vie reflètent un vrai vécu ... let tout sur un ton humoristique et léger agréable. A lire + a lire la suite très vite...
September 14, 2023
Un flop intersidéral pour ma part... Les "gags" manquent de consistance vu que ça se passe en demie pages. Je ne les ai pas trouvés drôle, la meilleure à juste réussi à me faire souffler du nez. La patte graphique ne m'a pas convaincu et j'ai trouvé l'œuvre global bourré de clichés. Une des pires lectures de cette année si ce n'est la pire.
September 7, 2020
Ce premier tome du « retour à la terre » est vraiment sympathique et drôle. En tant que citadine, je m’identifie pas mal à ce couple qui découvre la vie à la campagne. « La campagne, je pourrais pas », une réflexion que je me fais moi aussi régulièrement.
September 25, 2022
It's the first time, as an adult, that I really match with a comics. It's not my kind of genre book. But this series is really really funny with its caricatural way to depict the countryside leaving for a former city habitant.
June 12, 2017
Witzig, leicht zu lesen... Freue mich auf die Fortsetzung!
October 24, 2017
Starts a bit weak but it gets there eventually. Some good bits here and there but ultimately a little empty.
November 17, 2017
Ha ha, odlična! Autobiografska zgodba o avtorju in njegovi punci, k se z makom preselita na deželo in kako jima je ta podvig uspel :)
April 7, 2019
It's a very hilarious and ironic comic about how we miss normal things when we move a new city
May 29, 2019
es traits simples et efficaces. Des gags simples et efficaces. Des personnages simples et efficaces. Des situations simples et efficaces. Cette BD est excellente, c'est simple et efficace.
October 8, 2019
Moc hezký úlovek z Tabooku. Komiksové stripy plné vtipu na adresu venkova. Jenom mi občas hlavní postavy moc neseděly...
January 14, 2020
Porin lukuhaasteen 2020 sarjakuvaversioon kohtaan 29. Kirjan tapahtumat sijoittuvat maaseudulle.
November 7, 2021
Après Le Combat Ordinaire que j'avais adoré, je continue d'apprécier la patte et l'humour de Larcenet dans cette autre série, malgré ma crainte que ça ne me paraisse répétitif.
January 13, 2022
C’est une belle chronicle du déménagement. Une réflexion des petites aventures quand nous voulons changer de vie.
March 3, 2022
Creo que no había leído nada de Manu larcenet y es buenísimo en esta serie
March 21, 2022
Poétique et rigolo.
Très rigolo et très poétique.
https://www.noid.ch/le-retour-a-la-te...
Très rigolo et très poétique.
https://www.noid.ch/le-retour-a-la-te...
Displaying 1 - 30 of 48 reviews